Serial entrepreneur Jason Roberts inadvertently coined the phrase ‘Luck Surface Area’. It turns out that it popped out of his mouth during a discussion episode of his podcast TechZing. Roberts explains that we can hack serendipity and make ourselves lucky. Instead of being subject to the whims and fancies of luck, we can create our destiny. Here is how it works.
It is important to keep in mind that passion is not enough. However, we tend to work harder for things we truly care about. Because our work is channelled, the output per hour is greater and we become much better. As we get better, more people get to know about what we are doing and they tell their friends. Network effects set it. At this stage, we can let things be and take their natural course or we can proactively reach out to those who can be catalysts for our mission. Companies or missions that truly make a difference are driven by men and women who get really good at their craft and effectively tell their story to a broad set of stakeholders.
Our friends knowing about our work isn’t enough. We need to reach out to different networks, communities and organizations. New opportunities often come from surprising places.We call such happenstances serendipity but actually it is merely the expansion of our Luck Surface Area.
Roberts formalized the concept into the equation—L = D × T; where ‘L’ is luck, ‘D’ is doing and ‘ T ’ is telling. This demonstrates clearly that the more you do and the more people you tell about it, the larger your Luck Surface Area will become. So, go ahead, become lucky.
